So You Are A SENCO

Here are 10 of the most frequently asked questions from those who are already SENCOs.

1. “WHAT IS THE KEY LAW A SENCO NEEDS TO KNOW?”The key piece of SEN legislation SENCOs now need to be familiar with is Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

However, the SENCO's 'bible' is the SEN Code of Practice (CoP) 2014, which provides an elaboration of the legal requirements and guidance on the education of children with SEN.2. “WHAT ROLE DOES A SENCO HAVE IN WRITING A SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS POLICY?” One of the key roles of a SENCO is to help create a SEN policy in their school, which will ultimately improve the standard of education for pupils with SEN. SENCOs should have the support of the headteacher when they write a SEN policy.

There are three steps involved in writing a SEN policy:

1. Creating a planning process2. Consulting relevant members of school staff3. Developing the SEN policy with the Senior Leadership Team

There are 17 pieces of statutory information that must be included in a SEN policy (see 'The SENCO Handbook').

3. “IS A SENCO RESPONSIBLE FOR 'INCLUSION' OF SEN PUPILS IN A MAINSTREAM SCHOOL?”'Inclusion' refers to including all pupils (both those with and without SEN) in the educational opportunities and activities available in a mainstream school. It also promotes the principle of treating all pupils equally and fairly, whatever their educational needs may be.

A SENCO has to work with the whole school to try and promote inclusion for pupils with SEN. This may be easier said than done. The varying needs of pupils with SEN will greatly affect how successfully they can, or indeed want, to be included with a mainstream class.

4. “HOW MUCH INVOLVEMENT DOES A SENCO NEED TO HAVE IN A PUPIL’S TRANSITION THROUGH SCHOOL?”A SENCO will have to oversee and be involved in several transition periods that a pupil with SEN will go through as they move up through primary and secondary school.

In Key Stage (KS) 1 and 2 this is more to do with helping co-ordinate and plan educational opportunities for them but from KS3 to KS4, a SENCO must help pupils with SEN be aware of, and start to consider, their academic career options.

SENCOs will need to know that any pupils who have a Statement of SEN will be required to have a transition plan (see FAQs About Post-16) for after they complete Year 9. SENCOs must also help pupils with SEN when they complete KS4 to think about their post-16 options.

5. "WHAT IF A PUPIL WITH SEN NEEDS MORE SUPPORT THAN THE SCHOOL CAN OFFER?” The SEN CoP provides help for schools on how to offer extra support for a pupil with SEN. Also, a SENCO needs to ensure that the school follows the guidance set out in the SEN CoP.

However, if a pupil with SEN is found to need additional support than what is currently provided at the child’s school, then parents should discuss with the school ways of adapting the teaching style, modifying the National Curriculum and use of resources and materials. The school must make sure that the additional support and strategies in place are suitable to help the pupil.

If these changes still do not mark any improvement for a pupil with SEN, then the SENCO will need to look at putting them on the SEN register and moving them to ‘SEN Support’ or requesting a 'Statutory Assessment'/EHC needs assessment for the purposes of getting them aStatement of SEN/EHC plan.

6. "WHAT SUPPORT IS NEEDED FOR PUPILS ON THE SEN REGISTER?”The SEN CoP recognises four different areas of need that a pupil with SEN will require support in:

communication and interaction

cognition and learning

social, emotional and mental health

sensory and/or physical needs

A school will want to put a pupil onto the SEN register if they believe the pupil requires additional help and support to make sure they are making good academic progress. This is likely to occur after a pupil appears to have made little/no progress after the teaching styles, learning environment, bringing in additional help, or changing the curriculum have all been undertaken by the school.

When a pupil is put onto the SEN register the individual needs of the pupil will be addressed by one of two categories of additional support:

SEN support, or

EHC plan

Support will begin at the SEN support, and will subsequently progress to an EHC plan should the needs of the pupil require it.

7. “WHAT IS 'SEN SUPPORT'?”SEN support is the first level of additional support provided for pupils with SEN at a mainstream school. If there is evidence to show that a pupil with SEN is not making as much progress as they could be, then the school will put the pupil on the SEN register for 'SEN support’. Schools should adopt a graduated approach with four stages of action: assess, plan, do and review. This will aim to address a pupil who is struggling compared to their peers by providing them with additional support in school. This could include:

involvement of extra staff (i.e. teachers)

the use of different learning materials or special equipment

a different teaching strategy

SENCOs will work alongside a pupil’s teacher to help find ways of supporting and improving the pupil’s learning whilst they’re receiving support on a 'SEN support’. They must also ensure the pupil’s progress is regularly monitored and reviewed.

If a child is shown not to have made adequate progress on ‘SEN support’ then the school should look at providing additional educational support for the child via external specialists/agencies.

If a child with SEN has received support under ’SEN support’ with little or no success, it is then the responsibility of a SENCO to see if the child should be formally assessed for an EHC plan.

9. "WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD A SENCO KNOW ABOUT EXAMINATIONS FOR PUPILS WITH SEN?"A SENCO will need to know in great detail the provisions set out for examinations for pupils with SEN. In KS3 there are Cognitive Ability Tests (CATS), which provide the basic testing for a pupil’s entry into secondary school. The SENCO will need to closely examine the results of pupils with SEN as any large discrepancies could suggest a learning difficulty or disability.

SENCOs also have the responsibility of working out if pupils with SEN require access arrangements or prior preparation for exams. Furthermore, some pupils with SEN will not cope well in exam situations so may be more suited to combining school lessons and work experience.

10. “WHAT HAPPENS IF A PUPIL WITH SEN NEEDS ADDITIONAL THERAPY?”If a pupil with SEN needs additional therapy, advice should be sought from the relevant therapy services. This may also be an indication that the pupil may need to be assessed for the purposes of an EHC plan or, if they already have a Statement/EHC plan, this should be raised at an Annual Review of the Statement/EHC plan.